Oxoplastics, Bioplastics, and their Potential of Microplastics Generation (Case Study: Indonesia)

Abstract

Plastics are still becoming a popular topic in public news. This was initiated by some sea-animals that was trapped by plastic straws, plastic fishing net, and other plastic packaging. These plastics problems are starting to become a global issue and escalate the awareness of people to reduce the use of the plastics. Some campaigns for reducing plastic use are varied, such as starting a zero-waste lifestyle, banning plastic bags, and the other solution is using degradable plastics. Degradable plastic that commonly being used is oxoplastic. Oxoplastic is plastic with some additives that increase its degradability. However, with the increasing issue of microplastics, these degradable plastics were still skeptical from some academic perspectives. The other solution is using biodegradable plastics or bioplastics. This bioplastic is said to be a better option because it is made from a natural substrate that easily degrades, is edible, and is claimed to be safer for the environment. But this claim still needs further research and also standardization of biodegradability definition. This review will provide the definition of biodegradable plastics, the differences between oxoplastics and bioplastics; the implementation of bioplastic or oxoplastic products in Indonesia, and issues related to microplastic generation.